Air Force expresses confidence in Raptor

HAMPTON — — Air Force leaders on Monday expressed confidence in their top-line fighter, the F-22 Raptor, even as they continue to investigate oxygen-deprivation problems in the cockpit.

In 11 incidents since September, pilots have felt like they are not getting enough oxygen, and the cause hasn't been determined.

A few pilots have asked not to fly the Raptor, billed as the the most sophisticated fighter jet in the U.S. arsenal.

Those pilots represent "very small numbers," said Gen. Mike Hostage, commander of Air Combat Command. "We have very well-prescribed procedures if there is a fear of flying or a refusal to fly. We will follow those procedures very carefully."

"Obviously, it's a very sensitive thing," he said.

Air Force leaders welcomed reporters onto Langley Air Force Base, also the headquarters of Air Combat Command, to talk about the investigation into the Raptor, a probe that continues to expand.

The Air Force is not only examining the aircraft. It is looking at physical fitness scores of the pilots and their equipment. They have tapped experts from NASA and divers from the Navy to learn what happens to the human body in extreme conditions.

Maj. Gen. Charles Lyon, director of operations at Air Combat Command, said his investigators have not found a root cause to explain symptoms of hypoxia evident in 11 cases since the Raptor fleet returned to the air in September after a four-month stand-down.

Those are 11 cases out of some 12,000 sorties, he stressed.

Lyon said it's not as simple as finding a single "smoking gun" – a malfunctioning part that is defective, for example. He likened his job to having pieces of the smoking gun disassembled before him, and his job is to put it together.

"At some point in the future, we're going to have the smoking gun assembled," he said. "But it's not sitting there visible and obvious to us."

What may happen, he said, is that the investigation will show a combination of factors led to the hypoxia. There are no commonalities among the 11 cases, other than pilots felt their symptoms toward the latter half of their flight.

Each Raptor costs $143 million, according to the Air Force. The Government Accountability Office has estimated the cost per copy at $412 million, counting research, development and upgrades.

Raptors deployed

Monday's event comes amid reports that Raptors have deployed to the United Arab Emirates, which has caught the attention of Iran.

Over the weekend, several media outlets cited a report in Aviation Week that Raptors are now based at Al Dafra Air Base. An Air Force spokesman told ABC News that the deployment was routine and not meant to threaten Iran.

Asked about that report Monday, Hostage would not say where the Raptors came from. He said the deployment was previously planned and provided few more details, although F-22s have been sent to that region of the world before.

And for the record, he doesn't mind "the buzz" around the blogs and the media.

"That's a good thing for us," he said. "Our friends are reassured by that. Our adversaries are worried about it. People pay attention."

Two takes on one problem

Investigators are working on two possible theories on why pilots feel oxygen-deprived: Either the pilot is not getting enough oxygen or the oxygen is tainted with toxins.

The Air Force has already implemented some upgrades since the Raptors returned to the skies in September 2011. At that time, they vowed to continue to gather data and monitor the pilots while making improvements to the life support system.

Since then, the Air Force has modified the handle that engages the emergency oxygen supply. Lyon said they are preparing to install a sensor in the pilot's mask that will measure carbon dioxide.

One death

Access to the emergency oxygen system played a role in a crash that killed a pilot in November 2010, according to an Air Force report.

Capt. Jeff Haney, 31, died when his F-22 crashed in the Alaskan wilderness. His widow, Anna Haney, has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit againstLockheed Martin Corp.and subcontractors, contending that the aircraft is defective.

Hostage called the crash a tragic loss and praised Haney's skill as a pilot. He also defended the aircraft, saying he'd like to have more of them..

"I believe," he said, "we are making significant progress toward an answer."

As for the small number of pilots who have requested reassignment, Hostage said those are judged case by case. Those who enlist in the military give up the right to refuse something simply because they don't feel like it.

"That said, if someone says 'I am fundamentally incapable of flying this airplane — I'm afraid,' — I'm not going to throw him in the airplane and lose an airplane and a pilot," Hostage said.